Jose’s Story

Jose Lopez has worked in the same fast food restaurant in Tacoma for 5 years. His schedule changes weekly and he receives no paid leave.

“I have 3 children and if they are sick I have to ask my mother or cousin to take them into the doctor or pick them up from school. Sometimes it is very hard to figure out because everyone works a lot of hours and I worry. If I need to call out sick then I don’t get paid for that day and my supervisor becomes very mad and will take away hours from me the next week. I do not like to take time off if I am sick because then I don’t have enough hours to pay the rent or pay my bills. Our supervisor tells us to make sure not to act sick around the customers.So if we need to sneeze or cough we need to do that in the break-room or bathroom.”

By passing a paid sick days ordinance in Tacoma, workers like Jose will be able to take a paid day off without having to worry about missing a day’s pay.